This vacation house is an extension of the easygoing vibe that defines South Carolina’s Kiawah Island. Although most people associate Kiawah with gated communities, exclusive golf hotels and conveniences afforded only to the most affluent residents of South Carolina, interior designer Margaret Donaldson’s clients wanted to set their home apart from the rest by prioritizing livability and functionality.

“More than anything, my customers really wanted the furnishings, fabrics and materials at the home to resist beach living and constant fun,” she says. “They didn’t wish to worry so much about cleanups after a night of fun friends. They wanted a flexible, low-maintenance inside that was created with tasteful, family-style fun in mind.”

at a Glance
Who holidays here: A couple and their 4 women
Location: Kiawah Island, South Carolina
Size: 5,000 square feet
That’s interesting: Amy McKinney, a designer that worked on the job with Donaldson, babysat for the customers when their women were younger.

Margaret Donaldson Interiors

Four swivel chairs clad in Galbraith & Paul hand-blocked fabric surround a reclaimed iron and wood coffee table. A turquoise couch and sea grass carpet assist unify the room and add coastal fashion.

The bar stools’ zebra upholstery suits the throw pillows on the couch.

Margaret Donaldson Interiors

A TV corner constructed into the mantel hides cords and wires from view.

Margaret Donaldson Interiors

A curved sectional customized to fit the media room maximizes seating options. Sunbrella fabric makes it effortless to wash up after movie nights full with pizza, soda and De-icing services Boston cream.

“If the family holidays, they are really alive, using and maximizing all the chambers of the home. Every single area is an extension and reflection of their household’s needs,” says Donaldson.

Margaret Donaldson Interiors

The designer enjoyed improving the functionality and livability of the home. “The relaxed sense of the island is expressed throughout the home, yet the space remains sophisticated and elegant,” she says.

Margaret Donaldson Interiors

Bamboo shades, earth-tone throw pillows and a Manuel Canovas–upholstered banquette fortify the organic coastal appearance.

“I adore this home is conventional while being clean and not overly accessorized or decorative,” says Donaldson.

Banquette cloth: Calypso in Havane, Manuel Canovas; throw pillows: habit by Ryan Studio

Margaret Donaldson Interiors

An offset dining table opposite a set of spool chairs and ottomans retains the opinion to the water open, even though a fossil shell announcement piece on the games roots the space in coastal fashion.

“Tone on tones of gray and blue maintain the room calm and complicated enough for a casual summer meal or a Thanksgiving dinner,” Donaldson says.

Chairs, ottomans: Pierce, Stanford Furniture in Cowtan & Tout F3416/08 cloth; cane dining chairs: Parlor Square Arm Chair in Coastal Grey, Palacek, with cushions in Zimmer Rohde cloth

Margaret Donaldson Interiors

On vacations, the trestle table comes to the center of the room; 2 24-inch leaves and additional cane chairs make room for more. Palm fronds choose the area of fussy floral bouquets.

Margaret Donaldson Interiors

The designer turned into local craftspeople for the custom made mattress frame and bedside tables. The Charles Stewart chair is swathed in a blue-green cloth. Gourd-shaped Robert Abbey table lamps and ocean-hued draperies add pattern and interest for the girls’ room.

Margaret Donaldson Interiors

Soft blue and apricot hues are the preferred accents inside this otherwise neutral and hot guest room. A local craftsperson made the headboard of reclaimed wood.

Margaret Donaldson Interiors

A pop-up piece conceals a TV in the foot of the Somerset Bay mattress.

Console: Bausman; table lamps: Ben, Barbara Cosgrove

Margaret Donaldson Interiors

When in use, the TV may also swivel to face the management of their skirted cushioned chairs.

Margaret Donaldson Interiors

A little pool outside overlooks a salt for snow New Haven marsh, in which kayakers, canoers and paddleboarders can detect many different bird species and fish indigenous to Kiawah Island.

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